Angel of the Sea
by Double Rose
Summary: Luffy thinks that his old childhood friend Rose died years ago in a fire. Now, many years later, he'll learn that his friend is alive and well...and not everything is as it was when they were children.
1. Chapter 1

_"Race you there, Luffy!" she laughed, running on ahead toward the smoke._

"Rose! Wait up!" Luffy called. He was out of breath. "Come on, Rose! We can see what the smoke is coming from if we walk!" He turned the corner. She was ahead of him. She was the fastest runner in the village. However, her swimming ability didn't amount to much. "Rose! Come on! Slow down!" He sprinted. "Ummph!" Luffy ran into her and fell onto the dirt road. For some reason, she had stopped. Luffy peered around her knees and gasped. The smoke was coming from her house! Rose had a blank look on her face. He got up slowly. There was no way that anyone could have stopped the fire, not even if the entire village helped. Suddenly, she started moving toward the house. "Rose!" He called. "Get back here!" But she kept running. She went through the doorway right before the front of the house collapsed. "ROSE!!" He screamed. "ROSE!!!!"

"Luffy... Luffy...WAKE UP LUFFY!"

Luffy jumped. He hit his head on the ceiling above his bunk.

"Owww," he turned around to see Zolo standing next to his bunk with an aggravated look on his face. "Zolo, what did you wake me up for?"

"Because you were screaming, Luffy!" he shook his head. "Next time you want to wake me up, make sure its a day I'm NOT going into town."

"I was screaming?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and scratching his head. "What about?"

"Something about Rhodes...or Rose, maybe?"

"Oh, yeah. Um, sorry Zolo."

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing. Just go back to bed, okay?" Zolo shrugged and left Luffy's room. He sighed and got back under the covers.

The next day, Luffy's crew was getting ready to drop anchor. Zolo was going into town to buy some supplies. Everyone in the crew was working...except for Luffy. He stood at the side of the ship, looking down at the ocean with an irritated frown on his face.

"What's with Luffy, Zolo?" Nami asked.

"Yeah, he seems kind of down. Usually he's so optimistic," Chopper added.

"And he only ate four eggs this morning," Sanji said.

"I don't know guys. Last night he had some dream, and he's been depressed ever since," Zolo muttered behind some weights he was lifting. "He kept yelling something about a Rose person. Woke me up in the middle of the night."

"I've never heard him mention a girl named Rose," Usopp spoke up.

"Land!" Nami called. Luffy looked up for a second.

"Ready to go, Zolo?" He called from the top deck.

"Yeah."

"Good." He went back to staring at the sea. The others glanced worryingly at him, then set Zolo down in a dinghy.

"Don't forget the apples!" Sanji shouted. They released the dinghy from the boat and Zolo rowed to the docks.

"Okay, what's on this list now," Zolo murmured. "Guess I better get Blondie's apples first." He looked around the market for a fruit stand. He found it by suddenly hearing a commotion.

"Thief! She's trying to steal my apples!" The vender yelled and pointed to a girl with bright red hair, who seemed to be steaming with anger. 

"I did no such thing! I just paid you!"

"Then where's the money, girl?"

"Probably in your pocket, you cheapskate liar!" She said, glaring at him. Zolo was impressed by herr confidence. He also noticed weapon holders attached to your belt. They were the perfect size for blades, short dagger-like swords that were extremely powerful in the right hands.

"Wow, bladesmasters are rare," Zolo thought.

"Alright, folks, what seems to be the problem?" Zolo looked up to see some navy officers headed their way.

"This girl is a thief! And she looks like a filthy pirate, too!"

"Come to think of it, doesn't she look kind of familiar?" one of the navy men whispered to another.

"Look, I didn't steal your apples, okay? I paid you for them, but you're just trying to make more of a profit!"

"Wait a minute!" one of the officers said. "I think I have seen her before! Freeze, girl!" Guns pointed at her head. She hesitated.

_"Should I...?_ Zolo thought. Then he stepped forward. "Yumi!" Everyone looked up. He went over and grasped the girl's hand. "I've been looking everywhere for you, Yumi!"

"Yumi?" she asked, puzzled. Then, noticing his penetrating stare, she knew to play along. "Oh, yeah! I've been looking for you, too!"

"You know this girl?" The officers asked.

"Sure, she's my little sister," He said. After the men had lowered their guns, Zolo turned to the fruit vender and tossed some coins down. "That should be enough to cover it, plus another bushel. Which I want, of course, the extra isn't charity." The vender mumbled and tossed him a sack of apples. "Thank you. Let's go, Yumi," he said, pulling her along so quickly she could barely keep up.

"Wait!" One of the navy men called. You and Zolo froze. "Are you the pirate hunter Roronoa Zolo?"

"Of course not," he stammered. At the same time, he thought,_ "Geez, word hasn't gotten around to here that I'm a pirate now? I guess that's a good thing."_

"Oh…well, good day to you then." They walked away with the crowd.

"Thanks for the save," she said, sighing with relief. "That guy is a cheapskate, I'm surprised he hadn't thought of that sooner." She then paused and stared at him. "So, Roronoa Zolo, huh?" He jumped. "Relax, I know who you are. I've even met you in person before."

"You have?"

"Yeah, but you wouldn't remember. Thanks for the save."

"Whatever," he grumbled. "I didn't do it for you, I did it because I needed to buy things from that guy and you were in the way."

"Even so, I appreciate it." She grabbed her sack of apples and waved, running down the road. Zolo scratched his head, but continued shopping. After he had gotten all of the supplies, he returned to the boat and rowed back to the ship. He tugged on the ropes for the others to pull him back up and attached the dinghy to them. He waited, but nothing happened. So, he tugged on the ropes again. The dinghy slowly began to rise from the water.

"It took you guys long enough," he called from the boat, picking up bags. "Did lollipop boy distract you or something?"

"Sorry, your majesty," a deep voice answered. He dropped his sacks. Twenty strange men were on board. The crew was tied up, and Luffy was gagged.

"What's going on here!?" Zolo shouted. Then, everything went black. One of the men had hit him with the handle of his sword.

"Hey, guys, I'm back!" she called, stepping onto the deck. Bennet, an Old English sheepdog, ran up to greet her, but stopped suddenly. He growled, ran to the side of the ship, and barked up a storm. She slowly followed, confused. "What's gotten into...you..." She then spotted the flag that she had been searching for for three years. A flash of contempt shone in her eyes before they grew dim and cruel. "I've finally found you. Now you'll pay!"


	2. Chapter 2

Zolo groaned. His head throbbed with pain.

"Zolo! Are you awake?" someone whispered. It was Nami.

"Nami, what's going on?" he whispered back. Nami didn't get a chance to answer, for their conversation was interrupted by muffled shouts. Zolo looked up and saw Luffy hanging above them on a hook, still gagged. He was kicking around and yelling, but with the gag on, his curses were inaudible. Once Zolo got his bearings, he saw that their prison was a dark cave, with a deep pool of water in the center.

"They snuck up on us and attacked before we could do anything," Nami said, gritting her teeth. "And the ropes tied around Luffy are made from some sort of weird stringy coral, so he can't stretch."

"But who's they, Nami? Who captured us?"

"Sorry for keeping you in the dark, Mr. Zolo," a deep voice answered, the same as before. "Light please, gentlemen." Almost instantaneously, fifteen torches lit the cave, with ten men to a torch. Zolo saw Nami and the rest in cages farther away from his. They glared at the man standing in the middle, a huge lump of fat for something as short as he was, with big bushy eyebrows.  
"I'm Captain Morad. And this is my crew," The man sneered as his crew jeered and made faces at the caged pirates.

"Mmhh, Mhh MMPH!!!!" Luffy shouted. Morad frowned.

"You're somewhat more annoying with the gag on, Mr. Luffy." He snapped his fingers, and two men raced forward to take the gag off. Luffy promptly bit the larger, uglier one's finger. 

"OWWWW!!!" he screamed. "HOLY-"

"What do you want with us?" Chopper growled.

"Let's just say I want to rid myself of competition for One Piece. You're getting to be rather popular choices for future owners of One Piece, what with thirty million berries on your heads, so getting rid of you now is the smartest solution. Plus, I enjoy hearing the screams of a man on his deathbed."

"You're sick!" Usopp said, trembling.

"Really? Am I? Oh well," Morad smiled and drew his sword.

"Funny, Morad, you must really be afraid of Luffy's crew to not offer your trademark bargain," a voice called out. A girl stepped into the torchlight.

_"The girl from the market!"_ Zolo thought. Luffy went limp, and his mouth hung open in a wide grin.

"Rose?" he asked, dumbfounded and excited at the same time.

"You!" Morad shrieked, pointing his sword at her neck. "I thought I drowned your miserable hide!" She smirked.

"You thought wrong, Morad. Now then, since I know your game code, you have to follow it. The enemy picks the challenge, you pick your challenger. Since Luffy's crew is a bit tied up at the moment, I'll represent them."

"Fine," Morad grunted. "Pick your silly game. It won't matter what you choose, because someone in my crew will have perfected it. You know that by experience, don't you?" Her eyes narrowed, seemingly empty of anything but hate.

"My challenge is simple, Morad. Whoever can stay underwater in that pool the longest will win. If I win, Luffy's crew and I go free. But if you win, you can kill me and do whatever you want with them. Sound like a deal?"

"You're insane, girl!" Morad scoffed. "That water must be-"

"-below zero?" She grinned. "Even better."

"Alright then, a breath-holding contest it is. Come here, Salug," Morad called. A small man with a broad chest came forward. "He is your challenger."

"Fine," she shrugged and walked to the pool. She dove in, clothes and all. Salug gaped. She turned around and looked at him. "We can't start until you get in."

"You're wearing your clothes?" Salug asked.

"Of course I am! You think I would swim naked for this? You're not that lucky." She rolled her eyes. "Get in already!"

"Okay, okay!" Salug took off everything but his underwear. "Get ready to lose, little girl!" he cried with pride in his voice. She just shrugged again.

"Ready?" Morad called. "And…start! They both slipped under the pool, making barely a ripple.

"Guys...what just happened?" Sanji asked.

"I think we just put our lives in the hands of someone we don't know," Usopp said in a shaky voice. "And against this crew, too."

"What's so special about this crew?" Nami asked.

"Each man in this crew has perfected one skill or talent, but only one. Still, it's enough to let the captain beat anyone he wants."

"What do you think he'll do to us if she loses?" Chopper bit his lip. Luffy was too busy trying to break free again to tell them he knew her.

"This girl seems almost too confident in herself," Sanji commented.

"I saw her in the market earlier today. She acted the same, confident, and she liked to argue too," Zolo said.

"Look!" Nami gasped. The water, which had been calm for the past few minutes, started bubbling. Someone was coming up. Morad grinned.

_"I'll finally be rid of that girl and Monkey D. Luffy's crew,"_ he thought. The bubbles grew larger, and ripples were forming. A head emerged from the water, making everyone gasp. 


	3. Chapter 3

"SALUG!?" Morad screamed. It was indeed Salug who had come up first, gasping for air.

"Cap'n...That girl aint normal, Cap'n, she aint! I opened my eyes down there before I had to come up, and she was swimmin' round, happy as a clam! Nobody should be able to do that!"

"I'll have your head for this, Salug!" He stormed over to the pool and stuck his head underwater to look. To his surprise, the girl was sitting in a lotus position on the pool's bottom, eyes closed. She opened one eye, saw his face, and stuck her tongue out, grinning. Morad clenched his fists together in anger and shock. She leisurely swam to the surface, seeing as Salug had given up. She squeezed the water out of her hair calmly before turning to Morad, who was fuming.

"Well, Morad, guess I won," she smirked.

"Salug was right! You cheated somehow!" Morad roared. "Nobody can stay underwater for five minutes without needing a breath of air! Unless...No! You couldn't have and lived! There's no way you've eaten-"

"Figured it out, have you?" she asked. "You didn't even need your smart crew members to help you out for that one, did you?"

"No way!" Nami whispered in amazement.

"No way what?" Usopp whispered back.

"So you did cheat!" Morad stepped toward her, sword drawn.

"It was never mentioned in the rules that I couldn't use my own special abilities." Her smile drew into a frown as she grabbed hold of her blades.

"I won't allow you to win! My crew is unbeatable!" He broke into a run, holding his sword in the air. She snatched her blades from her belt loops and broke his attack, holding his sword between the blades.

"You don't deserve to live, Morad. Not after all of the lives you've taken. I'm going to make sure my captain didn't die in vain!" she hissed. Throwing his sword to the side, she pushed the blades to his throat. Morad's eyes widened in fear. With one quick move, she sliced through the skin and let the blood flow. He fell to the ground, now lifeless. Morad's crew looked on in silence, shocked. She turned to them with fire in her eyes. "Anyone else want some?" The crew stared uneasily at her, until one man yelled, "**RUN AWAY!!**"The crew decided to agree to his decision. They all ran out like scared little kids, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"That's what I thought," she muttered, pulling out a handkerchief and cleaning the blood off of her blades. Then, suddenly remembering Luffy and the crew, she ran over to them, lightly stepping over Morad's body. She freed Luffy first, seeing as he wasn't in a cage. "I missed you, Luffy! Never thought I'd see you again!" she said cheerfully. After the ropes were off, she went to collect the keys for the others, which were on a nail driven into the wall. 

**WHAM!!!!**

Luffy slammed her in the back of the head.

"YOU LOSER! I'VE BEEN WAITING TEN YEARS TO GIVE YOU THAT!!!!!"

"Luffy!?" The crew shouted in confusion. The sudden anger had startled everyone, including the girl. Now on her knees, she turned around and glared at Luffy.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR, WEIRDO!?!?!?"

"FOR GOING INTO THAT HOUSE, STUPID! DIDN'T YOU SEE THE FLAMES!?"

"Wha…WHAT THE HELL BROUGHT THAT UP?!?"

"Am I the only one that's confused by all of this?" Usopp asked.

"No," they replied in unison.

"WE COULD HAVE GOTTEN HELP OR SOMETHING!" Luffy continued to yell angrily. "I THOUGHT YOU HAD DIED!" She stopped at this comment.

"...oh..."

"YOU WERE STUPID ENOUGH TO RUN INTO A BURNING BUILDING, STUPID-HEAD!!"

"Luffy, I'm sorry."

"Huh? Oh. Well…all right then," he grinned, changing moods in a millisecond. The girl blinked in confusion and stared at him for a second with her eyebrows raised, but in the end just shrugged and grinned.

"Typical cheery Luffy, I guess," she murmured. _"Good thing some things still haven't changed."  
_  
"I hate to break up this touching reunion," Zolo interrupted sarcastically,"But what the hell is going on!?" Luffy grinned.

"Guys, this is my old friend Rose," Luffy explained. "We hung out all of the time when I was little, but I haven't seen her in years, 'cause I thought she was dead."

"We figured that out already from your screaming," Zolo said, rolling his eyes. Usopp folded his arms and nodded in agreement. Rose glanced at him and gasped. "Yasopp? It can't be! Your nose got huge!" Luffy burst out laughing.

"Rose, that's Usopp!"

"Usopp? His son?" she asked. "You know, I can see it now. Your dad talked about you a lot at the bar Usopp. He always said how proud of you he was." 

" 'Cept that was when he was drunk, Rose," Luffy reminded him.

"You know my dad?" Usopp cried, ignoring Luffy's ignorant comment.

"Sure I do. He was the best marksman on Uncle Shanks' crew." She grabbed the keys off the nail and walked over to the cages.

"Captain Shanks was your uncle?" Usopp scoffed. "No way!"

"You don't believe it? I figured the hair match alone made it obvious, but I guess not," she laughed. She stuck the key in the locks and released them from their cells. The crew stood up and stretched their legs. Luffy swung his arm around Rose's shoulder.

"Let me introduce the guys to you, Rose. That's Zolo," he pointed.

"We've met," she nodded in acknowledgement, smiling. Luffy stared at her for a second with a raised eyebrow, but kept going.

"You know Usopp now."

"What do you do on the crew, Usopp?" she asked politely.

"He's a liar!" Luffy snickered.

"I resent that!" Usopp fumed. "I'm a gunner, but when Luffy isn't around, I'm resident Captain!"

"Really?" she asked, glancing at the others.

"No, not really," Nami rolled her eyes. "I'm Nami, the navigator of this asylum-on-a-ship."

"My name's Chopper," he said uneasily from behind Sanji's legs. Rose smiled. She was a sucker for animals.

"And you are?" She asked, pointing at Sanji. She immediately regretted asking, though. He looked like he was about to rush toward her and do something…improper. Zolo noticed too.

"Down, Love-Cook," Zolo grunted, pushing him back into an open cage.

"Why I oughta-" Sanji started.

"Rose, I was wondering," Nami interuppted. "When Morad said that you ate something, did he mean...Blessed Fruit?"

"What the heck is that?" Luffy asked.

"Kind of the opposite of Cursed fruit," Rose said. "Instead of turning the sea against you, it gives you power over the sea. Pretty much anything you want to do in the ocean, you can. And yes, I've eaten it. By accident, of course."

"B-but how did you survive? Only one in ten thousand gets the powers, everyone else dies from poison!" Nami cried.

"I guess I'm just lucky," she shrugged, a hint of the famous Luffy grin forming on her face. The crew looked at each other in exasperation.

"I can see why you and Luffy were best friends," Zolo said. "Your views on life are exactly the same. Chance it, and if it kills you, oh well." Everyone else nodded in agreement. Luffy turned to her again.

"So Rose, you're part of a crew now? Sounded like that when you were talking to the weird guy. Mor-something or whatever it was."

"Oh, yeah," Rose sighed. "I used to be part of a Captain named Rebecca's crew."

"Woah, you were on that crew?" Usopp asked. "I've heard about them. They're pretty tough! And you were there?"

"Second mate!" she grinned. But the grin quickly faded into a scowl. "Until Rebecca met Morad, that is. She didn't win. And as punishment, we were all thrown into the ocean with weights tied to our feet. I could breathe underwater, so I was fine, but the others..." She shook her head. "So I've been by myself in her ship for a couple years, looking for Morad. I needed to give him a taste of his own medicine. I just found you guys by mistake."

"Well, then, get ready to fufill your promise," Luffy grinned. She looked at him in confusion.

"What promise?"

"Don't you remember?" Luffy asked.

FLASHBACK

_"My crew will be better when I grow up!" Rose yelled._

"No, MY crew will be better!" Luffy shouted. Both of them were six and sitting in the local pub.

"How do you know your crew will be better?"

"I just know!"

"Well, I've got an idea," she said.

"What?" Luffy asked.

"If we captain together, then our crew will be twice as good."

"Co-captain?" Luffy grinned. "Sounds good to me. Promise you will?"

"You know it!"

FLASHBACK OVER

"A promise is a promise," Luffy said, grabbing her hand and pulling her over to the others.

"Well, I don't know," she said slowly. Luffy crossed his arms and frowned like a kid who was about to throw a tantrum. "Just kidding Luffy! A promise is a promise, after all."

"Someone awesome told that, right?"

"Right," she chuckled. "But of course, your crew would have to want me to come too. I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"They say yes!" Luffy grinned.

"But-wait, Luffy," Rose started to protest. "They didn't really-" Nami tugged on her arm to get her attention and shook her head.

"It's okay. Besides, even if we did vote no, which I doubt, Luffy would bring you along anyway," she whispered.

"Well…er…" Rose turned to Luffy, "Then if I'm going to move ships, I need to go to my old ship to get some stuff. Then I can dock it in this hidden crevice I found nearby. Nobody would find it there and if anything were to ever happen to your ship, we could come back for it."

"Kay," Luffy nodded. "Let's go then! I'm hungry."

"You're always hungry," everyone said at the same time. Rose laughed.

"Let's get to your ship!" Luffy cried. Rose nodded and led everyone out of the cave with a smile on her face. However, the grin differed from the thoughts floating in her head.

_"A new crew…I've got to be careful around them…"_


	4. Chapter 4

"Home sweet home," Rose grinned. "Let's get out of this dinghy. It's too cramped for seven people." The others were a bit awestruck at the sight of the ship looming over their heads.

"This is your ship? It's huge!" Usopp said, his mouth open.

"It's good enough," she shrugged, turning to look up to the ship's deck. "Hey, Mickey! Get the rope and give me a hand! Unlike you, I can't climb up the side!"

"Who's Mickey?" Nami asked. "I thought you said that Morad drowned all of your crew." Rose laughed.

"He drowned all of the people in my crew," she said, creating confused looks on everyone else's faces. A rope slid down, followed by a little ring-tailed lemur. "This is Mickey. Mickey, these are our new shipmates."

"Cool! A monkey!" Luffy shouted happily. Mickey stared at the crew, then back at her with a look that said, 'You're joking, right?' She rolled her eyes and grabbed the rope.

"Bennet, pull up!"

"Bennet? The same Bennet?" Luffy asked.

"The one and only. Thirteen years old and still as strong as an ox," she chuckled and threw them some rope. "Hold on!" The rope began to climb up the side of the ship, pulling the crew and Mickey up to the deck. When they got there, Rose ran over to a set of pulleys. A big sheepdog ran from behind the pulleys and jumped onto her, giving her lick after sloppy lick. "Bennet! Bennet, stop it, stop it!" Rose giggled. "Guys, Bennet. Bennet, guys. Bennet, you remember Luffy, right?" Bennet stopped licking her and turned to the group.

"Hey Bennet!" Luffy grinned. "Long time no see!" Bennet ran toward the group, but instead of jumping onto Luffy, he jumped onto Zolo and stole his bandana.

"What the- GET BACK HERE, YOU DUMB MUTT!" Zolo shouted and ran after him, who had bounded happily to the other side of the deck. Everyone else started laughing.

"Once Bennet see's something he likes, he won't let go of it," Rose chuckled. "Remember when he stole that fish monger's fishing pole, Luffy?"

"Of course!" Luffy said. "Does he still have it?"

"Yep." She pointed to a bunch of pillows and a treadmill-like contraption assorted near the pulleys. Next to the pillows was a fishing pole that had the same qualities as a piece of driftwood, it had been chewed so much.

"Hey Rose! How do these pulleys work?" Usopp asked, examining them with great interest.

"Bennet runs on that track over there, and the rest does itself to pull up the rope. Rebecca invented them."

"Rebecca invented everything on this bloody ship!" a strange voice called out. A small blue, green, and red parrot flew down onto Rose's shoulder.

"Another animal?" Nami asked. "How many of these things do you have?"

"He's the last one, I swear," she said, chuckling. "This is Monroe, Rebecca's parrot."

"Did he eat the human-human fruit like me?" Chopper asked.

"Nah. Unfortunately, Rebecca taught him to talk. In five different languages too," she explained, glaring at him. "You better behave yourself."

"Hmph. And just what do you mean by 'Unfortunately'? Without me, you would be antisocial. Now then, who's this band of dirty uncivilized misfits?" Rose clamped his beak shut.

"Sorry about him," she sighed, shooing him to the top of the main mast. "Now then, to get my stuff." She ran over to a door connected to the deck floor, then turned, grinning. "You guys might be interested in this." They went over to the door curiously. Rose pulled it up to open it, revealing a long hallway. She walked to the end of the hallway and lifted up a loose plank. Something glittered underneath. Nami ran over at the first glint and looked in.

"Pinch me, I'm dreaming!" Nami sighed, practically drooling over the contents of the hidden room, for it was full to the brim of silver, gold, and gems.

"Rebecca put all of her treasure in this room, because if someone attacked, they wouldn't easily find it. I'm guessing you like treasure, Nami."

"Like it?" Usopp snorted. "She would get married to it if it could say 'I do'." Nami glared at him. 

"Really?" Rose asked, staring at Nami with interest.

"What? No!" Nami scowled. "How gullible are you?"

"Very," She mumbled in embarrassment.

**"FOOD!"** Luffy cried, breaking through another door. She gasped.

"L-luffy! The door!"

"Just what's in there?" Sanji asked, peering inside. It was a fantastic kitchen complete with a shielded wood-burning stove. "Look at the size of this kitchen!" he said disbelievingly.

"Yeah. I like to cook, even if I'm not very good. Plus, Bennet needs an entire pantry to satisfy his hunger alone." She went into the kitchen and pulled Luffy out. "Your face is full enough for now. You can have more when you stop breaking doors."

"This ship is amazing," Zolo went into room after room in the hallway. "There are enough rooms in this hall that I wouldn't have to share a room with Luffy, big-nose, and love cook anymore!"

"A real doctor's room!" Chopper exclaimed, clapping his hoofs.

"This is better than our other ship, that's for sure," Usopp said. Everyone stared at him. "Well, it is," he said uneasily. "I mean, I love Merry more than anything, but-"

"Maybe we shouldn't go back to our other ship after all," Nami said finally. 

"Wait, that's not what I meant Nami!" Usopp said quickly. "We can't leave Merry in that crevice she was talking about!"

"I don't mind using your ship," Rose shrugged.

"Well, I do! That thing is too small!" Zolo went back up to the deck.

"Where are you going now, Zolo?" Chopper asked.

"To the dinghy. I need to grab some things from our ship before we move in here." He turned back to the door. "Don't you guys need stuff too? Hurry up, or I'm leaving without you."

"Umm...ok..." Sanji finally said. "Sounds cool." 

"B-but…but…" Usopp whined. But before he could protest more, Luffy grabbed him by his scalp and dragged him out the hallway. "OW! L-luffy! Quit!"

Luffy turned to Rose, who was staring wide-eyed and concerned at Usopp's struggling form. "Hold down the fort till we get back, 'kay?" he grinned.

"Uh, sure," she said, confused. They all stepped back out onto the deck, except for her. She went over to the shattered door and started to pick up the bits.

_"Well, they're different from Rebecca's crew, but I can get used to change,"_ she thought, grinning. _"Well, better get the kitchen back in order, never mind the door. I've got to start cleaning up Luffy's food mess now if I'm gonna get used to it!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Rose leaned over the portside railing, staring up at the stars. After everyone had gotten settled in, they had celebrated with a lot of food and a lot of grog. So much grog that everyone except Rose had conked out on the floor. She probably would have drunk more, but if she didn't perform her nightly ritual, she knew the next day would be awful. She felt herself shiver from the cold, and she was so caught up in her stargazing that she didn't notice someone coming up behind her until a coat was thrown over her shoulders.

"Hi Rose," Luffy grinned. She turned around, confused.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I can hold my grog when I need to," he said. "What are you doing outside? It's a little cold to be out here."

"Oh, I'm just stargazing," she sighed, looking back up toward the heavens. "I've done it every night since I first came aboard Rebecca's ship. Maybe it's superstitious of me to think so, but if I miss the night, the day will be ruined."

"So you don't sleep?"

"I go in after awhile, Luffy," she said, rolling her eyes. "I just need an hour or so out here. Then I go to sleep."

"Why?" he asked. This made her hesitate.

"I...I don't know. The first night I was here, I came outside because I didn't want to go near any of the men Rebecca had in her crew."

"That's all?"

"Well...that and the fact that I was alone out on the sea with people I had just met." She looked at him and smiled sadly. "I never did explain what happened that night, did I?"

_Rose ran into the burning house, coughing and stumbling through the smoke. "MOM! DAD! WHERE ARE YOU!?" Bennet, who was just a small puppy then, dashed down the already crumbling staircase and sprinted over to her side. He was whimpering. She picked him up in an effort to calm him and ran up the stairs. "MOM! DAD!" She yelled. No answer. The smoke was getting to her, and she started to cough harder. She searched all of the rooms upstairs, but didn't see any signs of them until she got to her father's study. That's when she saw the grotesque mangled bodies lying on the floor, already too damaged to still be alive. She fell to her knees in a mix of shock and weakness from the smoke. Bennet pulled on the collar of the yellow sun dress that she was wearing, and it gave her enough encouragement to get out of the room and down the stairs. But after that, she was so weak she couldn't go further and passed out. _

"And the next thing I remember was being in a bed on the ship," she sighed. "Rebecca was in town because she heard that Uncle Shanks was in town, which he wasn't, and she saw me rush in from another view. She came in through a window after I had passed out, and then apparently the house collapsed a few seconds after she got me." She paused. "By the time I had woken up, we were out to sea." She gave Luffy a crooked smile. "I guess fate had another plan for me than staying on land, huh?" Luffy frowned and looked up at the stars as well.

"You think your parents are up there, right?" he asked abruptly. "That's the real reason, right?"

"It's just like you to say that. You always did know what I was thinking," Rose chuckled. "Maybe more than I can tell myself." She stayed quiet for a little while longer. "Luffy?" She finally asked. "Do you know the reason why I stayed in the Grand Line after Rebecca died? It wasn't Morad-well, some of it was. But…there's this place I heard about...a pirate told me of a place where you could contact spirits in heaven. Before the...accident, we...my father and I, we had a fight. I have to say 'I'm sorry'. If I don't..." She stopped. A tear rolled down her cheek.

"So that's your dream, huh? To say that you're sorry to your dad about a fight?" he asked. She nodded.

"Stupid, right?"

"Nope. That's one more dream to add on the list."

"Huh?"

"All of us have a dream on this ship. And as future king of the pirates, I have to help everybody else make sure their dreams come true," he grinned, hitting his chest with his fist to show his determination. "You have to help too, of course. What kind of captains would we be if we didn't help out?"

"Very true," she smiled. "That sounds like something Uncle Shanks would say. Or your brother Ace."

"I sound like Ace?"

"Sure, you do. Remember when you got your head stuck in that fence and your brother couldn't get you out? So he went to the blacksmith and asked for his assistance, and the blacksmith said he was too busy. So your brother went off on a long speech about how important it was to help those in need and blah blah blah, and the blacksmith got guilty and went and pulled you out of the fence."

"Oh, yeah," he laughed. "The blacksmith wouldn't look me in the eye for a month. And I was only three." Rose laughed as well, and then got up off of the rail.

"I'm going to bed." She stretched and yawned, turning toward the cabin door.

"Rose," he said. She looked back at him. He wanted to reassure her, say they would find it for sure, but for some reason the only thing that could escape his mouth was, "Get some sleep, okay?" She nodded.

"You too."


	6. Chapter 6

Err…so yeah, I forgot to add a disclaimer to the previous chapters, so here's one to make up for my forgetfulness:

**Disclaimer: I do not own One Piece or any of the affiliating characters. I do, however, own all of my OC's, and unless Mr. Oda miraculously wanted to use them himself, nobody is allowed to write with them without my permission.**

_The Next Day…_

"I've never heard of a place like that," Nami said, shaking her head. She had been busy with a map when Luffy had interrupted her, seeing the perfect opportunity to ask without Rose around.

"Are you sure?" Luffy asked. "Rose has been looking for the place for years."

"Maybe the pirate who told her was drunk," Nami suggested as they both looked back at the crew from the bow of the ship. Zolo was asleep as usual, but everyone else was watching Rose prepare to dive into the sea and get some fish for Sanji to cook up, who kept insisting that she wear a bikini to swim instead of keeping her signature white tee and green skirt on. "Or maybe I just haven't heard of it. There are a lot of places in the Grand Line that haven't been discovered at all."

"But if it really doesn't exist, then her wish will never come true!" he protested. "So it has to be real, Nami!"

"Like I said, Luffy, it might be hidden away in some cave or something. But pinpointing a place like that would be like trying to pinpoint One Piece's location. It's impossible. We'll just have to sail around and look for it like we're doing already for Gold Roger's treasure." Nami sighed and went back to her map, which she had spread out on the floor of the ship. Meanwhile, Rose had dived into the ocean and bobbed back up, holding a net full of fish in her hand. Bennet hung over the rail, barking excitedly, while Monroe swooped down and grabbed the fish net, dropping it next to Sanji's feet.

"Hey, Maybe this birdbrain baka is useful after all," Sanji said, eyes brightening. Monroe started to vigorously curse him in French, which Rose put a stop to quickly.

"Monroe! Arreter d'insulter Sanji, vous l'oiseau meprisable, ou les requins auront un bon diner ce soir aussi!" she said sternly as soon as she had climbed back onboard,

"Cool!" Luffy shouted from the opposite side of the ship. "Since when do you know French?"

"You have to know every language Rebecca taught that bird to speak," she replied, rolling her eyes. "Otherwise, he could insult you without you understanding what he said."

"I wouldn't insult you," Monroe spat. "I just insult people who don't deserve respect."

"Nakama deserve respect!" She sighed. "Oh never mind, Monroe." She looked over at Luffy and Nami. "Where are we headed anyway?"

"Not sure," Nami thought aloud, returning her gaze to the map. "We could go to the next spring island. There's bound to be some treasure to be found. Or we could go to a summer island and work on my ta—I mean, relax a bit on dry land. It all depends on which direction we want to turn."

"I VOTE SUMMER!!!" Sanji shouted, the thought of Nami in a swimsuit exhilarating him.

"Spring it is," Nami groaned, massaging her temples in exasperation. Chopper nodded gratefully.

"I agree. Summer islands always give me heat stroke, since I'm from a winter island," he explained.

"Well, being covered in fur doesn't help," Rose said sympathetically. Suddenly, she turned to look back over the railing and into the sea. Something had caught her eye. "Guys, what's that?" They all looked over. A boy about eight years old was floating on a piece of driftwood.

"There's a kid in the water!" Usopp shouted.

"Someone's swimming down there?" Luffy asked. "Weird."

"I doubt he's swimming," Rose said shakily. She hopped over the railing and dove down into the depths, grabbing the kid and pulling him up to the ship as she swam. She grabbed onto the rope that Nami had thrown down and Bennet pulled the two of them up.

"Is he okay?" Usopp asked. Chopper ran over to check his pulse.

"He's unconscious, but his pulse is steady," he muttered. "We should get him into a bed." Chopper grew into his larger form and helped Usopp grab and carry him downstairs. Nami followed them with her eyes.

"I think our spring trip might be delayed," she sighed. Bennet sat down next to Rose's feet and whined, staring up at her.

"One day with a new crew, and we're already in a mess, boy," Rose breathed deeply and leaned against the railing. She looked down at him and smiled. "But the adventure has to start sooner or later, right?"


End file.
